Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 03 : Epithalamium

Part II : Oh What a Difference a Day Makes
Chapter Fourteen : Alas! Poor Horatio--

25 October 2003 (continued)

9:40 am

Some time later, Horatio finally arrived at the bottom of the stairway to Dumbledore's office, his progress through the cold castle slowing as he spent some moments lingering in sunny spots trying to stay warm and active, others moving in the shadows to avoid getting trampled on by the throngs of people in the hallways. It hadn't seemed that far the day he'd travelled with Snape (and so many stairs), but he'd forgot that Severus had carried him most of the way once they'd left the safety of the dungeons. Now he had to figure out how to get up into the White One's office.

What was it the Master said? Oh yes, I remember! He raised his head off the floor and hissed, [Coconutsss!] While it was not quite the current password, the gargoyle nonetheless turned in place and the stair started moving up. Horatio hurried and slithered to one of the treads and rode the stair to the top. He humped up the last two stairs to coil on the landing.

He waited. Nothing happened. He slapped his tail on the door--that often worked at home. Still nothing happened. He was starting to get cold, the energy from the last warm, sunny area he'd encountered, nearly half an hour before, fading. Just when he was about to give up, he spotted the small rat hole in the wall near the floor. Very tight, but I should be able to make it.

He pushed the piece of parchment into the hole with his head and when he felt it pop through the other side, he followed it with his body. He was right, it was tight, but he was just making it through--until he got halfway. The bunching of his muscle at that point in order to push him through the hole was apparently bigger than the hole itself. Turning his head back to look at the opening from this side of the wall, he realised it was smaller than out in the hallway; he was stuck.

Now what does I do? he thought, half-in, half-out of the office. I can't go backwards, I can't go forwards. I needs someone to helps. He looked around and spied a very ugly, scabby-looking red bird on a perch watching him with amusement.

[[You DO have a problem, don't you?]] the bird chortled from across the room. Fawkes tipped his head in puzzlement. [[Aren't you the snake who ate all of Dumbledore's mice?]]

Raising his head off the floor, Horatio asked, [Are you the Big Red Bird the White One had in here before?] Fawkes made a sweeping bow, his molting wings wide. As several feathers dropped to the floor, Horatio hissed, [What happened to you? You looksss awful. Did a cat getsss you?]

[[Insulting a phoenix is not the way to get unstuck. I am close to my time of rebirth. I always look bad then.]]

[I meant no insssult. I am being honessst. You look worssse than the lassst time I sssaw you. You were pretty then--for a bird. And yesss, I atesss all the White One'sss mousssesss. He and my Massster asssked me to. You can helpsss me?]

Fixing his curious regard on Horatio, Fawkes considered the problem. [[I'm not sure, but I can try to pull you out--I am very strong.]]

Horatio eyed the bird and his long talons with some scepticism and concern. [How wouldsss you do that? Your clawsss could hurt me even worssse than ssscraping me through the hole. I already have enough bitesss asss it isss.]

Fawkes looked him over and could see the raw tears in his length near the wall. [[How did you get those?]]

Ignoring for the moment Fawkes' distracting question, Horatio delivered the message he'd come to give. [The Sssmall One with the Bad Sssmell came into our ssspace lassst night and threw thisss Sssquare of Yellow away before Harry could ssseesss it. It isss important he getsss it.]

[[Small One? What's that and what does the note say? And did he bite you?]]

[You babble like a hatchling. I do not know what the Yellow Sssquare sssaysss--it doesss not ssspeak. The Massstersss sssometimesss leavesss thessse Sssquaresss of Yellow for each other and they yellsss at each other when they forgetsss to leavesss them. The Sssmall One ssseemed to think it important becaussse he threw it into the Place Where the Ratsss Sssometimesss Hide--he wasss like Winky'sss and Dobby'sss kind. Then he left a little sssnake perssson with lotsss of juisssesss. Ssshe wasss trying to get to Harry becaussse he wasss warm. I wasss unhappy with her, ssshe wasss very rude and I killed her and ate her but not before ssshe bitesss me twissse.]

[[A house-elf? Little snake? Lots of juices?]] Fawkes tilted his head sideways staring at Horatio with shining eyes. [[You mean she was poisonous?]] When Horatio bobbed his head and hissed, Fawkes commented, [[She must not have been very poisonous--you're still alive.]]

[Oh, her juisssesss were very potent--ssshe would have killed Harry had ssshe bit him.] He gave a snake shrug. [I eatsss other sssnakesss, their juisssesss don't bother me, although hersss made me very sssleepy and cold for a while.]

Fawkes watched him closely. A house-elf tried to kill Harry last night! He must get Dumbledore, but he could be almost anywhere and he was in no condition to go find the blasted human. First though, he needed to get the snake out of the wall. He flew awkwardly from his perch, extended his feet and landed softly on Horatio's body near the wall. With a powerful back sweep of his wings, he pulled.

He got another six inches clear when the angle went bad and Horatio screamed, [Ssstopsss! You are going to break my backsss!] Fawkes immediately let go and landed nearby while Horatio thumped to the stone floor. [Whooomph. Ouch! Thanksss you though, and thanksss for ssstopping ssso quickly. I am rather fond of my backsss.] He gave a hissing equivalent of a snake chuckle. [You might sssay I'm all backsss.]

Fawkes twittered--the snake had a point--he was rather like a long spine surrounded by muscle and skin. Looking over the scrapes in Horatio's hide, he realised the biggest section was still on the other side of the thick stone wall. [[I AM sorry. You are well and truly caught. I will try to wake up the others and get help.]]

[Thanksss you for trying. You have sssoft clawsss.]

[[Actually, they are very sharp, I just didn't poke you with them.]] Turning from Horatio, he considered the slumbering portraits on the wall. [[Let's see, who sleeps the lightest and can still understand me?]] He flew from the floor and hovered around Merlin's portrait. Fanning the air around the sleeping man's face, he raucously called, [[C'mon you old sod. Wake up! You'll have plenty of time to sleep next century! WAKE UP!]]

Merlin roused, his eyes half open. "Eh, what's that? What's all the fuss about?" he queried sleepily from his frame. Blinking awake and looking around, he exclaimed, "Eh, Fawkes! What are you about? Stop it!" Fawkes flew back to the floor next to Horatio. "What have you there? A snake?" Horatio was writhing on the floor, with little success, trying to pull the rest of him through the hole.

[[The one who ate Dumbledore's mice is stuck in the wall. He says he has to give the yellow square--and I am assuming that means the parchment--to Harry Potter.]]

"Snape's snake? Is it urgent? Don't think I've ever seen him come here before by himself," Merlin harumphed.

[[We need to find Dumbledore--a house-elf tried to kill Harry last night!]]

"Hmmm. That's a different matter altogether. Phineas! Wake up! We've a snake who says he must see Albus. Phineas, damn you to hell--oops, sorry--WAKE UP YOU SCHEMING REPROBATE!"

"Hmmph, what?" Blinking, Phineas came awake. He looked around and spied the snake. "I say, Merlin, there's a snake stuck in the wall."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "So observant, Phineas. Now why didn't I see that? Such a keen eye. Glad you woke up--I might have missed it."

"Prat," Phineas sniffed, exasperated. "What does he want?"

"You are so thick, Phineas. Why else would he have traveled from the dungeons, by himself, in the freezing hallways? Hmm? He wants Dumbledore, you stoat. Seems that piece of parchment he has with him has some kind of import to him. And he brings news that a house-elf tried to kill Harry last night. Any idea where Albus is?"

Ignoring the last bit of information as irrelevant since he'd seen Harry (alive and well) leave earlier with Dobby when he'd been down visiting Cerise's frame now hanging near the Great Hall, he concentrated on Merlin's question about Albus. "Not really, but finding him should be pretty easy--assuming, of course, he kept his promise to Snape about staying here at Hogwarts for Harry. But you know him--he could be anywhere or anywhen." He sighed, resigned--Merlin rarely bestirred himself out of the portrait unless he was miffed at Dumbledore or wanted to 'occupy' a comely wench. It would be up to him to find the headmaster. "I'll be back," he said, leaving his frame.

Horatio was exhausted and sore. Fawkes went up to his perch (none too soon) and in a burst of flame and smoke, immolated. Horatio was so fascinated by the display and the appearance of a small bald bird out of the pile of ashes at the base of the stand that he almost didn't feel the tentative touch of a velveted paw on his backside out in the stairwell.

But he felt the first smack as Mrs. Norris sank her claws in his hide. With his middle stuck he had a lot of purchase but not much movement, and he concentrated on keeping the front still while whipping the back--not an easy thing to do for a creature who uses his entire body to move. His tail connected solidly with something soft and he knew he'd been successful in hitting the cat when her fangs sank into his tender belly, claws sunk for her own purchase. She tried to rip, as is the way of cats, but his skin was too thick and slick for her to do more than scrape him deeply with claw and tooth.

Instinct took over as the pain rippled up his bones all the way to his head; he was dizzy with it. As she tried for another bite, farther down where there was less of him and the skin was thinner, she captured and bit the flailing tail hard as he released his secret weapon. The sac on his soft underbelly filled with feces and other defence chemicals and, with an involuntary bunching of tiny muscles, the nasty, smelly muck shot out of an emerging pink opening and hit her full in the face as she pulled back and ripped right through him.

He couldn't hear her howls as the alkaloids burned her sensitive face. The feces filled her mouth and nose making it hard for her to breathe, but he could feel her claws scrambling on him as she attempted to get away from the vile mess and the toy that had 'bit' her back. She fell off of the top of the stairs and, twisting in the air, landed on all fours hard on the stone flags below, her joints jarred from the impact. Half-blinded by the stuff clinging to her fur, she bolted.

Horatio lay spent on the floor hissing and growling. Pain. Cold. Scrapes. Torn and Bleeding. Stuck in a wall. Can this day get any worse? he wondered. Putting his head down flat, he waited.

With the whole day ahead of them, Harry and Dobby took their time. The stroll to the Apparation point outside of the Hogwarts wards provided Harry the rare time to gently tease the house-elf about his progress with his lady-elf in Hogsmeade. When he realised Dobby was quite serious about 'his' Blinky and wanted to join with her, Harry ceased giving him a hard time, his ensuing silence thoughtful. They Apparated to Diagon Alley and instead of heading out to do their shopping, Harry directed them into the Leaky Cauldron, which at that hour was crowded with people eating breakfast.

Sitting down and ordering tea, Harry asked, "Tell me, Dobby, is your lady friend as afraid of freedom as Winky?"

"Dobby does not know, Harry, but Dobby's Blinky does not mind that Dobby is free. Dobby and Blinky does not talk about it and Dobby thinks it does not matter since Dobby's Blinky serves another Master."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Harry said slowly. "It seems unfair to me that you are in two different establishments in the first place. Makes it hard for you both to talk about it in any event." As Dobby drew breath to speak, Harry continued. "While I can't predict if she could accept freedom, I can at least make sure the two of you are together. If you're truly serious about joining with her, that is."

Dobby's eyes widened, his mouth opened in utter shock; he nodded, speechless. Harry chuckled. "Now there's a first--Dobby bereft of words." When Dobby closed his mouth, tears filled his eyes and his hands were shaking. Harry, noting all this, said softly, "All right then. When I get back from my honeymoon, I'll go talk to Jed and see if I can't make arrangements to acquire Blinky. You'll have to help me--I have no idea of how this is done. Jed's a reasonable man for the most part, and remember? That little problem we helped him with is how you met Blinky in the first place. I'm sure we can work something out, whether in trade or outright purchase. Then, if she wants, I can set her free--maybe another sock would be appropriate?" He smiled at the blinking house-elf. "Or not, if she doesn't want it--at least she would have a choice. I've heard I'm not too terrible to have as a master."

Harry stopped and thought about what he'd just said. Property, they were just property, and he began to understand why Hermione was so adamant in her continuing crusade. Appalled at his thoughts, he said, "Merlin, I'm so sorry, Dobby. That's an awful way to say things, isn't it? You know I wouldn't treat her as if I owned her."

While Harry had expected some excitement, he was unprepared to suddenly get a lap full of ecstatic house-elf as Dobby launched himself at him, hugging him tightly as the chair rocked, threatening to spill them both.

"Easy there, Dobby!" Harry exclaimed, laughing and hugging the house-elf back as he righted the chair firmly back on the floor.

Dobby was beside himself. He started kissing Harry all over his face saying, "Oh! Thank you, Harry Potter. Dobby thanks Harry Potter. Blinky thanks Harry Potter. Harry Potter has made Dobby the happiest house-elf! Dobby knows Harry Potter will make it right."

Embarrassed by the display, Harry tried gently prying the house-elf off of him and eventually succeeded in getting him to sit back in his chair, but not to stop bouncing, albeit quietly. He quickly glanced around and winced when he saw he had the undivided attention of every patron in the pub. He looked at Tom, who winked at him and began to make the rounds, drawing their attention away from Harry and Dobby and back onto whatever they'd been doing before the ruckus.

Sighing, Harry shook his head at the still excited house-elf, a small smile on his lips. He glanced at the clock behind the bar, and, seeing it was approaching ten, asked, "Are you steady now?" When Dobby nodded, he said, "Well then, let's get going. We're not going to get everything done by sitting here, are we?"

If Dobby stayed close to him and made little inarticulate noises or did some joyous skipping while they window shopped on their way over to Mrs. Pendergast's store, Harry pretended not to notice; even house-elves needed their privacy and dignity. After stopping at the small store (and volubly admiring the presents) the proprietress cast a simple spell to wrap them before shrinking them. Dobby put them all in a wizarding-space bag he carried.

Moving on, they strolled down the streets and stepped into a few more stores where Harry made some other purchases for himself and Severus. A rare book here, a hard-to-get potions ingredient (just arrived) there, some fresh herbs, some oil for his broom kit--along with others it all added up until Dobby was loaded with packages shrunk as far as it was safe to do so; despite the magic, the bag bulged. They passed Mr. Langley's shop. Seeing it was empty and that the man himself was in the front, Harry stepped in to say hello and show him how his seals had been used. The merchant was pleasantly surprised when Harry gave him one as a thank you. They made their goodbyes after talking a while longer.

As he stepped out of the doorway to Mr. Langley's shop, Harry staggered drunkenly, a wave of deep despair flooding him. Dobby, hampered by the wizarding-space bag, was helpless to stop Harry from stumbling. With wildly flailing arms, Harry righted himself before he fell. He was dizzy, confused for a moment and then, as suddenly as it started, it was gone.

'Severus? Was that Severus? Gods, where is he? Hogwarts? I must find Dumbledore.' The urgency to be away was strong as was a steadily growing unease.

"Is Harry all right?" Dobby asked him, very concerned.

"I'm fine, Dobby. I think--I think something may be wrong. We need to get back to Hogwarts." He didn't notice he was absently rubbing his chest.

While Dobby didn't doubt that Harry thought something was amiss, and yes, they did eventually need to go back, he also knew they were almost done with their errands and thought few more minutes would make no difference either way. Besides, if matters were truly urgent, he knew Harry would insist. "Are Harry and Dobby going to pick up the packages for Madame Pomfrey before Harry and Dobby return to Hogwarts?"

"How long will it take us to get there?" Harry asked, his hand falling to his side, the feeling now rapidly fading, leaving only a vague memory of uneasiness.

"Dobby thinks the store is only down the street," he replied quietly.

Harry thought about it a moment and still couldn't fathom why he'd felt this way. "Very well, but let's be quick about it."

Starting down the crowded lane in the direction Dobby pointed out, they soon found out 'quick' was not really an option on such a fine Saturday. Suppressing his impatience with the delays engendered as they got caught behind one unmoving knot of shoppers after another, Harry ignored the stares of the passersby, each eager to catch this rare glimpse of The-Boy-Who-Lived. Jostled from all sides, he suddenly stopped, shocked motionless in front of a nearby shop. Fighting his way closer, he stared into the window display of fine knives and daggers, his hands flat on the glass. The realisation blinded him to the people running into him, Dobby trying to block the worst of them--all Harry saw were the weapons. 'The knives! Oh gods, the knives! The knives and the staff were missing. Missing from the wardrobe this morning. Severus' battle weapons. SEVERUS, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?' he screamed in his mind.

Implacably determined and scared, Harry turned to Dobby, saying in a terrible voice, "Come Dobby, we need to Apparate back home. Now!"

Harry's dismayed impatience almost a physical thing, they urgently pushed through the crowd trying to find a clear spot where they could Apparate home. Dobby was not hampered by such considerations, but knew the human form of Apparation was more volatile than that of the house-elves' easier flip through space and time.

Almost a quarter hour later, such a clearing appeared ahead of them and Harry plunged through the crowd hoping to get there before it closed when he felt the weight of someone's gaze on him. Glancing behind and to the side, he spied Lucius Malfoy's malevolent glare not five feet away. Standing next to him was his young wife, whom Harry had only seen once or twice before; 'Bethany,' he thought--she was Avery's daughter, although she looked nothing like him that he could see.

She stepped forward about to greet him, when Lucius grabbed her lower arm viciously, stopping her. She winced and gave a tiny shrug as she stepped back, obedient to his obvious wishes.

Lucius stared coldly at Harry, their eyes locking. Harry didn't know how, but he could almost taste Lucius' hate, his disbelief, and his fear. 'Disbelief and fear?' Harry thought, surprised by the feeling he was getting, but it was almost as strong as the palpable waves of terror coming off of Dobby pressed against the front of his legs. He broke eye contact long enough to look down at the house-elf, who, while trembling violently, stood defiant between his current and former masters. When Harry looked back up, Lucius was already turning away with his wife in tow. Harry shook his head of the impressions and, after a quick word of reassurance to his house-elf, made his way to the still open clearing in the crowd, Dobby following close behind.

Once they were gone, Lucius, still holding Bethany by the arm, rushed her carefully but quickly through the crowd. "Let's pick up our clothing and be gone," he snarled, his patience (and his desire to see his mistress again while she shopped) evaporated. "I have some urgent business to attend."

"Certainly, my dear," she said calmly, terrified by the horrible pressure on her arm. She willed herself to not panic. "If it would be easier, I could pick them up myself and you could leave now, if you wish."

He considered it a moment and suddenly realised how he was holding her. "No, my sweets," he said, releasing her arm, smoothing it absently. "You've no one else to carry our things; I will curb my impatience for a few more moments and then we can be away as soon as we are done at the tailor's shop."

Knowing it was the closest thing to an apology she was likely to get, she resisted the urge to rub her arm, which she was sure would be bruised by his manhandling. Saying nothing further, they moved on.

10:50 am

At the feel of a soft human touch to his head, Horatio lifted it weakly from the floor and regarded the expanse of bright blue in front of him. Gentle hands slid around his thickness halfway between him and the wall and he heard some strange words. Within seconds, he was free of the trap, all of him in the room. He flicked his tongue several times. [Thanksss you, White One.]

Expecting and getting no response, with the second set of words from Dumbledore, his hurts tingled briefly and disappeared, his skin whole once more. He hissed his pleasure. With a grunt of effort, Dumbledore picked him up and took him to his chair at the desk and, sitting down heavily, draped the snake over his lap. With one hand holding him secure, the other brushed gently down his cold side muttering a third set of garbled words.

At first nothing happened--if anything Horatio felt weaker. A few moments later, his head popped up to look at his tail--bright warmth flooded through Horatio, sending shots and tingles of energy through his whole length from tip to crown. Sluggish at first but gaining speed, he pulled himself properly into Dumbledore's lap and coiled there, resting. His energy level almost normal, he raised his head and when eye to eye with the old wizard, Horatio brushed his head against Albus' furry face and tasted 'The White One' several times with his tongue. [You alwaysss tassste sssweet. Thanksss for warming me up.]

Some acts are universal between species. "You are most welcome, Horatio," Dumbledore replied, brushing a finger down the belly of the snake's body, marvelling anew at just how soft and supple he was. With a quiet chuckle, he said, "Well now, my friend. Seems you've had quite an adventure. I have the--what did Fawkes say you called it?--the Yellow Square and will give it to Harry. You left me quite a stink in the stairway although I daresay Mrs. Norris richly deserved it." He leaned in and whispered, "Filch has already been onto me about what Peeves did to his cat, so your secret is safe." He stroked the snake's head, mesmerised by the low purring rumbling through the sinuous body as Horatio snuggled deeper into Dumbledore's lap.

They had a few minutes of quiet communion before Dumbledore's door chimed. "Well, Horatio. It seems the cavalry has arrived." With the wave of his hand, the door to his office opened to Moody and Shacklebolt. It was obvious, given their hasty dress, they'd come straight away to his unusual summons; it had been years since they'd received their 'bees'. "Come in, come in, gentlemen. Make yourselves comfortable. Help yourself to some tea; I would serve you myself, but I have a small hero to take care of here."

Moody looked over the desk at Horatio on Dumbledore's lap. "Isn't that Snape's snake?" he asked, pouring himself a cup, lacing it with huge dollops of milk and sugar.

"It is indeed, and he has gone to some great lengths, if you'll pardon my pun, and suffered some grievous hurts to let me know we have a serious problem." He continued to stroke the ecstatic Horatio, who coiled deeper into the surprisingly warm lap.

Horatio was a bit curious, though, and stretched up enough to see who was in the office, his tongue tasting as it always did. Ah, it's the Hairless One, he thought, his eyes fixed on Kingsley, and the Loud One, he remarked to himself, referring to Moody. Curiosity satisfied, he settled back down to rest. The hand of the White One was dormant and he nudged it the way a cat does when it wants to be petted. A chuckle from the wizard holding him rumbled through his skin and the hand resumed its requested stroking. "You've been associating too long with Cally," Albus murmured softly.

Dumbledore fixed his attention on the two men in front of him and began without preamble, "It seems we have some unforeseen difficulties. Last night, late, I sent Severus and Remus to capture Peter Pettigrew who, according to my source, was out and about in Diagon Alley. It should have been a simple task, but I fear we were either betrayed or set up. Since my 'source' is impeccable and has been feeding us good information for years, I can only assume we were set up. I have already made arrangements to get him out since he has obviously been discovered."

He shook his head at Moody's unspoken questions. "There's more--I think it better to tell the tale all at once than to splinter it." He looked down at the snake in his lap. "Horatio came to me with two messages, according to Fawkes and Phineas, the first being that a house-elf tried to kill Harry last night." He raised his hand, forestalling their obvious agitation. "No, no--Harry's fine, thanks to our valiant friend here. Seems the would-be assassin used a small poisonous snake, not knowing Horatio was there and would make it his late night snack."

While Moody laughed at it, Kingsley was thoughtful. "A house-elf? One of yours?"

"No, the Hogwarts elves are fine and accounted for. They were aware of a brief disturbance late last night in the channel they use to Apparate between here and Hogsmeade, but evidently one of their number has a lady elf in the village, so they thought nothing of it as he frequently goes at all hours to visit her." He took a sip of his own tea, careful not to disturb the now dozing snake. "No, the elf came from the outside; I have subsequently closed the portal."

"So, you need us to go rescue the auld sod and the Wolf?" Moody asked, slurping up some spilled tea from his saucer. "What was the second thing the snake said?"

"Evidently the house-elf, who I believe to be Maldy--" the two men sat up sharply at the name "--took the note Severus left for Harry and threw it away."

"You mean Harry has no idea where Severus is?" Moody asked, concerned. Harry on the loose looking for Severus was not something he wanted to contemplate. He was relieved at Dumbledore's next words.

"Not right now and, until this evening, Harry will remain ignorant since he thinks Severus is avoiding him because of the wedding day superstition of the two of them not seeing each other before the ceremony. Poppy was most insistent they keep to this tradition and since it was harmless and got her off their backs, they agreed." His smile belied the seriousness of the moment.

He held up his hand, solemn; they knew the look well. "Gentlemen, I know we have all been jesting about their up-coming nuptials; I have purposely tried to keep it light-hearted to protect them. However, you should know they are in deadly earnest. I cannot stress enough how important it is they wed and bind tonight with the proper attendants in place. Not tomorrow, not even two years from now, which is when the next acceptable date appears, but tonight, when everything is in its proper alignment."

He paused, his gaze distant. "This goes no further than this room. There are dark days ahead of us and it is imperative these two be bound in a certain way--if not, your chances of success in the future will be severely hampered as will be their abilities to lead in it." He fixed them with a steely gaze. "You must get them both back and keep each other safe as well. Each of you chosen to participate tonight have been selected for a reason, for a strength or quality you will add to their bond. If even one of you is missing, it will be weakened substantially." Dumbledore's face hardened.

"There is one other potential problem. I believe they are at Malfoy Manor. If Lucius has them AND he thinks Harry is dead, he may try to break Severus' mind."

Kingsley and Alastor rolled it around a moment. Moody spoke first. "You mean he may try to convince Severus that Harry is dead while the handfasting bond is still present?"

Thoughtful, Kingsley remarked, "Severus is too strong for Lucius to break him in that manner. It would only work if he's managed to weaken Severus in other ways as well." He sighed heavily and added, "So we may also have to deal with him being seriously injured or dosed or, more probably, both. Quite the daunting task, Albus. A wounded man spelled to the brink of insanity. Anything else we should know?"

Dumbledore hesitated--he knew his next words would anger them with their strictures. He said slowly, "Rumour has it that Avery arrived from France three weeks ago." The start of surprise from both of them was expected--Avery was still wanted by the Ministry. "I believe he's there as well. We all know of his history with Severus, so we can expect him to have been brutal. However, under NO circumstances are you to be distracted by him. Do NOT pursue him. Do NOT try to capture him. Do NOT bring him back."

He allowed them their protests. "Gentlemen, let me remind you of a few things. One, we are not supposed to be there in the first place; explaining your presence and how we 'got him' would require more revelations than I am prepared to make right now and would give Lucius some of the proof he has been trying to obtain to discredit us. Even with Arthur as Minister, we cannot abuse his sensibilities. There are limits to the strings he is willing, or able, to pull for us."

He ticked another point on his hand. "Second, your primary purpose is to get Severus and Remus back here, alive, in one piece, and hopefully sane. You cannot allow Avery to distract you from this. Finally, Avery's part in all this is not over. To try and get him now would be a futile effort and a waste of precious time. You will not succeed and any attempt to do so will seriously undermine your other mission. Am I clear?"

They both nodded, resigned. When Dumbledore used that implacable tone, they knew better than to argue with him. After several minutes of discussing particulars, Shacklebolt and Moody were gone.

Dumbledore sat quietly looking out of the window at the moors in the late morning sun. "Such a rare, fine day, Horatio." He shook his head. "So quiet, so innocent." He sighed, once again stroking the snake, who rose to look him in the eye at the sound of the voice so patently addressing him. "Never you worry, we'll get your Master back--even if I have to go after him myself."

His heart did one of those flops he hated so much, his breath short. Feeling like a weak fool, he reached in his sleeve and pulled out the metal container. Rolling one of the tasteless pills out into his hand, he deftly popped it under his tongue, feeling it dissolve rapidly. Within moments, he could feel the potion working, his heart slowing back down, his breathing easier. "Wondrous things, these. I should have seen a Healer sooner; however, it's not in my nature to do so."

He noticed that Horatio was no longer looking at him but at a mouse that had climbed on his desk looking for biscuit crumbs. Dumbledore laughed, quickly scooping the helpless creature off the desk and putting it out of harm's way on the floor. "Seems we are both going to have to conquer our natures, Horatio. You may have saved your Masters' lives, but you may not eat one of my mice as a reward." He chuckled when the snake looked back at him, eyes bright.

[Ssshucksss! I am very hungry.] he hissed, a little disgruntled.

"Come, let me take you back to your chambers where I am quite sure we can find a nice, juicy rat for you." Horatio slithered over his shoulders and distributed his weight evenly over the old man. Dumbledore was amazed anew just how heavy he was and how good and warm he felt moving along his body. Standing from the desk, he murmured, "I can definitely see the appeal you hold for Severus. You are ever a good friend. Now, let's go see about your snack."

TBC